Making sense (and, sometimes, nonsense) out of Current News, Issues, Politics

Friday, May 20, 2016

Hillary Is Playing a Whole Deck of Women's Cards

In another attempt to garner the women's vote, Hillary recently announced another multi-billion dollar program. This time to make child care affordable by capping its cost at just 10% of a family's income. Since the average cost of child care is $11,666/year, the program could wind up being quite expensive; especially when you consider that it could be applied to multiple children in some low income families. For example, a family with an income of $30,000 a year would only pay $300/year for childcare. The taxpayers would pick up the remaining $11,366.

At the same time, she would raise the wages for child care workers; making the current average of $11,666 much higher thus making the cost of the program even more expensive. In addition, she would have the taxpayers pay for social worker visits during pregnancies.

If you go through Hillary's "Issues" page, much of her existing agenda is aimed at women voters.

Her promise to cure Alzheimer's by 2025 is primarily a women's health issue because women are often the caregiver to a husband or mother with Alzheimer's. She also promises to end campus sexual assaults. In addition, she would have universal, federally paid, pre-K education for 3 to 5 year olds. Essentially, this would be another form of childcare. She would "Protect women’s access to reproductive health care, including contraception and safe, legal abortion" and insure continued funding of Planned Parenthood." Then there's paid family leave that would primarily pay women for up to 12 weeks of pregnancy leave. And, I'm sure not finally, she would erase the supposed gender pay gap, even, though the 1963 Equal Pay Act makes it a federal crime to intentionally underpay women; solely on the basis of their sex.

In my opinion, all this shows desperation in her attempt to get the women's vote. In recent polling, 58% of women had an unfavorable view of Hillary. This is certainly better than Trump's 68% disapproval in the same group; yet, you would think that the chance to elect the first woman president would automatically give her a stronger advantage than she's showing. Her favorability among women is not as strong as it should be, and she knows it. That's why she's playing one woman's card after another trying to shore up her weak showing.